1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tissue stapling method and a tissue stapler. A tissue stapler is used when, for example, the intraluminal organ of the esophagus, the stomach or the like is subjected to an anastomosis or a fixing treatment during surgery or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tissue staplers have been known in the related art. A tissue stapler is used in anastomosing end portions of the normal intraluminal organ after or before cutting off a morbid or diseased portion of the intraluminal organ of, for example, the large intestine, or the small intestine, or in anastomosing side portions of the stomach and the small intestines. Such a tissue stapler can considerably shorten an operation time period by stapling the tissue with a plurality of staples, arranged in a ring-like shape and simultaneously cutting off a substantially central portion of the tissue stapled along the ring-like shape.
Such a tissue stapler is provided with a stapling portion arranged with a plurality of staples at a distal end of an inserting portion that is inserted into the intraluminal organ, and a distal end portion of the stapling portion is attachably and detachably integrated with an anvil which provides a tissue fixing portion. The anvil is able to staple the tissue by pressing a foot portion of the staple into contact with the staple projected from a stapling portion. Further, a control section is provided on a proximal side of the inserting portion of the tissue stapler.
Recently, there has been proposed an inserting portion to be inserted into the intraluminal organ formed to provide flexibility in consideration of insertability into a deep portion of the intraluminal organ, or promoting insertability by arranging an observing optical system at a distal end thereof (refer to, for example, JP-A-2003-111763, U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,508).
Further, when the intraluminal organs are anastomosed by using the tissue stapler with the promoted insertability of the inserting portion, the inserting portion and the anvil are inserted into the intraluminal organ orally or via the anum. Further, the intraluminal organs are anastomosed at an aimed position in the coelom of the intraluminal organ by confirming a distal end position of the inserting portion and a position of the anvil used in combination with the inserting portion and controlling the movement of at least one of them.
Hence, in addition to anastomosis being assisted by a rigid scope and forceps, recently there has also been proposed a tissue stapler constituted to facilitate operability by opposedly arranging magnets at the anastomosing portion and the anvil to enable their positioning proximate to each other by a magnetic force (refer to, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,507).
However, although observing optical systems are disclosed in the tissue staplers of JP-A-2003-111763 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,508, the apparatus parts, per se are disposed in the intraluminal organ and therefore, in order to execute anastomosis while attracting the organs disposed at positions remote from each other in the coelom, there is need for assistance by a rigid scope and forceps which are transabdominally inserted (introduced). Further, even on the premise of the transabdominal approach, the position of the distal end of the tissue stapler and the position of the anvil disposed in the intraluminal organ need to be confirmed by the rigid scope and grasped to be guided by the grasping forceps and therefore, there is a drawback that handling is awkward.
Further, the tissue stapling system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,507 is not useful when the tissues to be anastomosed are not disposed proximate each other, necessitating assistance of a rigid scope and a grasping forceps which are transabdominally inserted. This constitutes a substantial drawback.
The invention has been made in view of the above-described observations and it is an object of the invention to provide a tissue stapler of improved handling operability.